|
| 1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |
The gist of my question is this: If I'm holding the charge on a touch spell (Shocking Grasp), can I activate a wand (True Strike) without dissipating the touch spell?
Originally I thought not, because I always thought that zapping a wand was "casting a spell", until I read this:
"No. Unless they specifically state otherwise, feats and abilities that modify spells you cast only affect actual spellcasting, not using magic items that emulate spellcasting or work like spellcasting.
Using my Magus as an example, say I've stored a Wand of True Strike inside a one-handed weapon using the spell Weaponwand. I have a hand free to cast spells while the other hand is holding my Weapon/Wand. I've taken the Wand Wielder arcana, which lets me use wands during Spell Combat.
On round 1 I cast Shocking Grasp. On round 2, using Spell Combat, can I activate my Wand of True Strike and use the attack bonus to strike my opponent with my Shocking Grasp?
|
|
Also bear in mind, if in round 1 I cast shocking grasp, then round 2 cast true strike, I will not be able to channel my shocking grasp that round as per the rule: if I miss with my free touch attack (or choose to not use it) on the round its cast, I can hold the charge to use a STANDARD action to hit in subsequent rounds.
Holding the charge is not a standard action. The spell will discharge whenever I "touch anything or anyone", as written on page 186 of the CRB.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
|
Also bear in mind, if in round 1 I cast shocking grasp, then round 2 cast true strike, I will not be able to channel my shocking grasp that round as per the rule: if I miss with my free touch attack (or choose to not use it) on the round its cast, I can hold the charge to use a STANDARD action to hit in subsequent rounds.Holding the charge is not a standard action. The spell will discharge whenever I "touch anything or anyone", as written on page 186 of the CRB.
Yes, but that doesn't apply to your weapon. You can only use the touch attack through your weapon using spellstrike. You can still do it as part of a full attack, though.
|
|
Yes, but that doesn't apply to your weapon. You can only use the touch attack through your weapon using spellstrike. You can still do it as part of a full attack, though.
Ah, ok. Good to know. But now Shfish has me thinking of something else:
Bear in mind that this would only apply to wands with non-touch spells.
Where did you read that?
The gist of my question is this: If I'm holding the charge on a touch spell (Shocking Grasp), can I activate a wand (True Strike) without dissipating the touch spell?
Originally I thought not, because I always thought that zapping a wand was "casting a spell", until I read this:
"No. Unless they specifically state otherwise, feats and abilities that modify spells you cast only affect actual spellcasting, not using magic items that emulate spellcasting or work like spellcasting.
Using my Magus as an example, say I've stored a Wand of True Strike inside a one-handed weapon using the spell Weaponwand. I have a hand free to cast spells while the other hand is holding my Weapon/Wand. I've taken the Wand Wielder arcana, which lets me use wands during Spell Combat.
On round 1 I cast Shocking Grasp. On round 2, using Spell Combat, can I activate my Wand of True Strike and use the attack bonus to strike my opponent with my Shocking Grasp?
here's my take on this:
I'm the one who wants to use wand wielder to spell combat/spellstrike with.
I'm pretty sure YOU are the one who told me i cant do that because activating the wand is not casting a spell and so this wont work.
In this case, under that ruling, what you want to do is also NOT casting a spell (by your ruling) and solyes it will work.
Put simply:
IF wandwielder is casting a spell, (or an acceptable substitute for) then you can spell strike/spell combat with a wand full of shocking grasp. Happy day!
and you CANNOT hold that charge of shocking grasp and activate the wand for true strike.
BUT
IF the OPPOSITE is true and: wand wielder is NOT an acceptable substitute for CASTING, then you CANNOT use a wand of shocking grasp to spellstrike./spellcombat with BUT
activating the wand DOESNT discharge your held shocking grasp.
It's got to be ALL one way, or ALL the other. You know?
At my table? You cant do what you want to.
At your table (and possibly many others) you CAN.
Which one of these is the RAW and which one is the house interpretation.
All im saying is, its a consistent thing, either the wand IS spell casting or ITs NOT.
should make this ruling easier, since you already have strong conviction on the other matter involving wand wielder.
If I'm holding the charge on a touch spell (Shocking Grasp), can I activate a wand (True Strike) without dissipating the touch spell?
"If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates." The intent could be that using magic items that emulate spellcasting or work like spellcasting is close enough to casting a spell that it would dissipate, but it's not clearly written that way.
The other argument could be that, while Spellstrike is an ability that modifies spells you cast (and thus only affects actual spellcasting), the holding the charge rules are not, and thus they can use the more vague interpretation where emulating spellcasting is enough to dissipate.
So ask your GM. But barring anything that points towards the intent working differently than the RAW, activating a wand probably doesn't dissipate a held charge.
Using my Magus as an example, say I've stored a Wand of True Strike inside a one-handed weapon using the spell Weaponwand. I have a hand free to cast spells while the other hand is holding my Weapon/Wand. I've taken the Wand Wielder arcana, which lets me use wands during Spell Combat.
On round 1 I cast Shocking Grasp. On round 2, using Spell Combat, can I activate my Wand of True Strike and use the attack bonus to strike my opponent with my Shocking Grasp?
On a more practical note, you could do that in reverse order without needing the arcana or any ruling on wands. Round 1 use wand of true strike, round 2 use spell combat to cast shocking grasp and attack.
|
|
If I'm holding the charge on a touch spell (Shocking Grasp), can I activate a wand (True Strike) without dissipating the touch spell?"If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates." The intent could be that using magic items that emulate spellcasting or work like spellcasting is close enough to casting a spell that it would dissipate, but it's not clearly written that way.
That's why, when I read the FAQ stating that using a wand doesn't count as "casting a spell", I decided to post this question.
The other argument could be that, while Spellstrike is an ability that modifies spells you cast (and thus only affects actual spellcasting), the holding the charge rules are not, and thus they can use the more vague interpretation where emulating spellcasting is enough to dissipate.
Oh no I'm not looking to for a ruling on Spellstrike and wands, I'm pretty sure there's no way to do that. Wand Wielder only works with Spell Combat.
So ask your GM. But barring anything that points towards the intent working differently than the RAW, activating a wand probably doesn't dissipate a held charge.
I'm asking in regards to a dwarf magus I'm playing in Society. After tonight he'll be 3rd level and I'll be able to grab Wand Wielder.
On a more practical note, you could do that in reverse order without needing the arcana or any ruling on wands. Round 1 use wand of true strike, round 2 use spell combat to cast shocking grasp and attack.
What I'm hoping to do, eventually, is cast Shocking Grasp and move up, then on round 2 use the wand and attack. No attacks of opportunity provoked that way.
Whatever the ruling ends up being, this should be good material for your magus guide ;-)
I'm asking in regards to a dwarf magus I'm playing in Society.
I'm guessing at least half of the PFS GMs will not allow it. I would be prepared to ask at each table how it'll be run and have a backup plan for when it's not allowed.
In theory, you could wait for someone to say no, then escalate it through the venture officer chain and try to get a official(for PFS) response, but I'm not sure it's really worth the trouble.
One of the problems with it working that way is if someone doesn't want to use spellstrike, they could stack up held charges from wands. Spend 10 rounds activating it outside the last room of the dungeon and drop 50d6 on the boss with one touch.
|
|
I don't see how someone could hold more than two charges, though. One from a casting and one from a wand. But I'll never be grabbing a wand of Shocking Grasp anyways, so that issue isn't important to me.
I'll continue to go off the assumption that a wand of True Strike works while holding the charge on a touch spell, since that's what the FAQ says, until a more comprehensive ruling comes around.
I'll be sure to run it across each GM, too.